hearken

verb

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heark·en | \ ˈhär-kən

variants: or harken

hearkened or harkened; hearkening\ ˈhärk-niŋ

, ˈhär-kə- \ or harkening

Definition of hearken

intransitive verb

1 : listen hearkened without much mental comment— Theodore Dreiser

2 : to give respectful attention the humble folk who hearkened to these evangelists— G. M. Stephenson

3 : to bring to mind something in the past : hearken back Portrayals of dinosaurs with lizard-like tongues hearken to early interpretations of the beasts as oversized lizards.— Mindy Weisberger

transitive verb

archaic : to give heed to : hear

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing hearken Learn More About hearken

Synonyms & Antonyms for hearken

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples of hearken in a Sentence

hearken! I hear the distant beat of the hooves of many horses

Recent Examples on the Web The pragmatic materials choices — such as panels that are generally employed by the refrigerated transport industry — hearken to the Eames’ use of prefab Cemesto wall panels in their own home. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2021 Base packages will hearken, some, to the tenure of 2014-19 coordinator Rod Marinelli. — Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2021 Vivian’s play things include toy medical kits and other toys that hearken to her mother’ memory. — Carrie Napoleon, chicagotribune.com, 18 June 2021 Instead, rooms and suites now feature palettes with tans, taupes, sea-glass greens, and pelagic blues that hearken to the nearby beach. — Eric Rosen, Forbes, 9 Apr. 2021 Their meals mingled the specialties of Osorio’s native Peru with desserts and baking that often hearken to Bell’s Kentucky upbringing. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2020 MacAdams donned a white suit and painted himself green to hearken the ghost of William Mulholland, chief engineer of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2020 Readers responded to stories that hearkened to the best mystery writing of the past but whose style spoke to the present. — Sarah Weinman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2020 Shows like Gunsmoke pulled the little bit of cowboy that was in all of us to the surface, and the world was ripe for a .22 LR single-action revolver that hearkened to the Old West. — Richard Mann, Field & Stream, 6 June 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hearken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.